Shimoda, Shizuoka
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Shimoda
下田市 | |
---|---|
UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) | |
- Tree | Oshima Cherry |
- Flower | Hydrangea |
Phone number | 0558-22-2211 |
Address | 1-5-18, Higashihongō, Shimoda-shi, Shizuoka-ken 415-8501 |
Website | Official website |
Shimoda (下田市, Shimoda-shi) is a city and port located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 February 2024[update], the city had an estimated population of 19,670 in 10,436 households,[1] and a population density of 188 persons per square kilometre (490 persons/sq mi). The total area of the city is 104.71 square kilometres (40.43 sq mi). In the 1850s, Japan was in political crisis over its increasing inability to maintain its national seclusion policy and the issue of what relations, if any, it should have with foreign powers. For a few years, Shimoda was central to this debate.
Geography
Shimoda is located at the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula about 100 kilometres (62 mi) southwest of Tokyo. Shimoda's location, with the Amagi Mountains to the north, and the warm Kuroshio Current to the south give the city a humid, sub-tropical climate.
Surrounding municipalities
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Shimoda has been in slow decline since 1980.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1940 | 24,995 | — |
1950 | 28,284 | +13.2% |
1960 | 27,387 | −3.2% |
1970 | 30,310 | +10.7% |
1980 | 31,007 | +2.3% |
1990 | 30,081 | −3.0% |
2000 | 27,798 | −7.6% |
2010 | 25,013 | −10.0% |
Climate
The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Shimoda is 15.5 °C (59.9 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,159 millimetres (45.6 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.4 °C (77.7 °F), and lowest in January, at around 6.4 °C (43.5 °F).[3]
History
Shimoda has been settled since prehistoric times, with numerous
Treaty port
During the Bakumatsu period, Shimoda port was opened to American trade under the conditions of the Convention of Kanagawa, negotiated by Commodore Matthew Perry and signed on March 31, 1854. Shimoda was also the site of Yoshida Shōin's unsuccessful attempt to board Perry's Black Ships in 1854.
The first American Consulate in Japan was opened at the temple of
After the
Shimoda expanded in March 1955 through the merger of six neighboring towns and villages. In 1958, an
Government
Shimoda has a
Economy
The economy of Shimoda is based on tourism (primarily centered on the hot spring resorts and marine sports) and commercial fishing.
Education
Shimoda has seven public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school.
Transportation
Railway
- Izukyu Corporation - Izu Kyūkō Line
Highway
Ferry service is available to
Local attractions
Apart from its role in the opening of Japan, Shimoda is famous for its hot spring resorts and beaches. Tatadohama, Ohama and Iritahama beaches attract many tourists in summer and are popular surfing spots year round, and Iritahama has been voted most beautiful Japanese beach a number of years[citation needed].
Shimoda is also a setting for much of Yasunari Kawabata's famous short story The Dancing Girl of Izu.
Shimoda is the real-world inspiration for Pallet Town in the
Shimoda is the town where the 2012 anime Natsuiro Kiseki unfolds.
Museums in the area include the Uehara Museum of Modern Art.
Sister cities
- - Newport, Rhode Island, United States
- - Numata, Gunma Japan
- - Hagi, Yamaguchi Japan
Notable people from Shimoda
- Shimooka Renjō, Photographer.
- Harumi Kurihara, Television personality.
- Michiko Matsumoto, Photographer.
- Okichi Saito, geisha, famous for her tragic story.
In popular media
The Japanese anime television series Natsuiro Kiseki is set in Shimoda.
Pallet Town from the Japanese game series Pokémon is geographically placed in the real-world location of Shimoda City, although the fictional town is inspired by creator Satoshi Tajiri’s own hometown of Machida, Tokyo.
References
- ^ Shimoda City official statistics (in Japanese)
- ^ Shimoda population statistics
- ^ Shimoda climate data
- ^ "下田市長に新人松木氏 大差で現職を破る" [Newcomer Matsuki defeats the incumbent by a large margin to become mayor of Shimoda]. Shizuoka Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
- ^ "Pokémon world in relation to the real world - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia". bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
External links
- Shimoda travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Geographic data related to Shimoda, Shizuoka at OpenStreetMap
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Shimoda city and great beaches
- Article in the Observer
- Book about the history of Okichi Saito and the black ships